Thursday, February 16, 2012

Connected Clarity

"I think people are isolated because of the nature of human consciousness, and they like it when they feel the connection between themselves and someone else.." ~James Taylor

While I am on the road, filled with business travel, business meetings and business meals, the days start to become a blur. The days are busy, filled with much to do. Many times I have to stop and refocus in order to regain clarity back into my world.

When I begin to focus, clarity is what begins to happen. There is no better way to bring things into focus then by connecting with others. As an example, while on the plane, looking out the window, the details of everything disappear as we rise higher and higher. When we reach a cruising altitude of 35,000 feet, one can see the huge expanses of the earth. It spreads out in a wondrous view.

What I also notice is that the buildings, the people, the cars and the small details disappear. From such a high location, there is no ability to focus on those small details. The people, the cars and buildings are impossible to see. It reminded me that if we remove ourselves from connection with people, we lose that same ability to focus on things. We have no relationships to others around us. We might as well be 35,000 feet in the air.

When the plane begins its descent near the end of the flight, little things begin to reappear. The shapes of buildings became more clear. One can see vehicles racing up and down various roads. I can more clearly focus on all of those details as we drew closer to them. The more we descended, the tighter connection we had to everything around us.

Connection can only take place when we draw closer to others. When we involve ourselves in relationships with other people, the focus of our lives achieves much greater clarity. With this new found clarity, your ability to impact the lives of others becomes so much greater. The ability of others to impact your life becomes greater.

Do not isolate yourself at 35,000 feet. You may feel you can see so much further, but in reality you only see a non-detailed landscape of your life. Draw closer to others by connecting in various ways. Achieve focus through these connections and you will gain a better life.